Malaysia’s proposed Parents’ Care Bill is in its final drafting stage and is expected to be tabled in Parliament early next year
KUALA LUMPUR: Engagement sessions on the drafting of a Bill on the protection of senior citizens have been expanded nationwide to obtain views from various parties to ensure the welfare of the group is safeguarded and protected from neglect, abuse and exploitation.
Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the consultation process involved various ministries and agencies at the federal and state government levels, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as people at the grassroots level.
However, she said the ministry was in the final stage of drafting the proposed Parents’ Care Bill, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament early next year.
“The voices of the people at the grassroots level have also been consulted through a public survey to ensure that the Bill reflects the actual needs of society.
“The engagement process takes time because there have been many requests for consultation sessions, including from parties wishing to submit their views again. We also need to hold engagement sessions in every state,” she said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was responding to a question from Rodiyah Sapiee (GPS-Batang Sadong) on the latest status of the proposed Parents’ Care Bill and the form of a comprehensive social protection mechanism to safeguard the welfare of the group amid the country’s demographic shift towards becoming an aged nation.
Nancy explained that the welfare protection of senior citizens would not stop while awaiting the finalisation of the Bill, but that their rights and safety continued to be protected through existing legal provisions and mechanisms.
Meanwhile, she said the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) also provided various forms of social support to senior citizens, including the senior citizen assistance of RM600 a month for eligible recipients.
“In addition, we have 234 senior citizens activity centres (PAWE) as of this year, which promote active ageing and have more than 50,000 members, as well as the home help services (KBDR), which assists more than 9,000 senior citizens through the services of over 2,000 trained volunteers,” she said.
Nancy said the government was also strengthening the elderly care ecosystem through the Malaysia Care Strategic Framework and Action Plan 2026-2030, including training and enhancing the competency of caregivers.
